


Unintentional

by AppleStrider01



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Canon Disabled Character, Character(s) of Color, Developing Relationship, F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-05
Updated: 2016-08-15
Packaged: 2018-06-06 13:48:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,531
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6756634
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AppleStrider01/pseuds/AppleStrider01
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They would never admit it out loud, but they fit so well together like this.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a human AU! I used a prompt generator to come up with this because I’m not the best at coming up with ideas. The prompt is “one person gets drunk and confesses via phone call”. ALSO! Sorry to those who’ve been waiting on A Cliche Dynamic, but I won’t be updating that anymore. Chances are, I’ll be putting it on private, because I really hate it! Anyways, enjoy! (Several Chapters to Come)

          Peridot’s foot tapped on the sidewalk impatiently, rubber boots splashing in the puddle forming at her feet. She could feel more than hear the rain pummeling her umbrella through her headphones and twirled the handle a few times out of boredom. Jasper was late (unsurprisingly) to pick her up for movie night and since she was already outside, she really didn’t feel like walking back into her apartment because it would be just her luck for Jasper to pull up as she sat back down on her nice, dry couch. Peridot sighed, shoving her glasses up the bridge of her nose in irritation. Looking up, she noticed a beat up truck making its way down the road and just barely managed to crouch down and shield herself with the wide green umbrella before the wheels of her ride sloshed the water that had gathered on the roadside all over where she was standing. Peridot practically growled from behind her umbrella when she heard Jasper’s roaring laugh from inside the vehicle. She stood quickly and shot her friend daggers, motioning for her to roll down the window. Jasper leaned over the passenger seat to roll it down, a nasty grin still spread onto her face.

 

          “Don’t be mad, shortstack, you managed to-!” her remark was cut short when Peridot spun her umbrella more furiously than ever, spraying water right across Jasper’s smug face. When she retracted to check her eyeliner, only then did Peridot smile and get into the truck. Tapping her umbrella outside the door before she closed it, she tugged her headphones from her ears.

 

          “If you did that on purpose, I’m not ever going to let you into my apartment again.” the shorter girl warned. Jasper just rolled her eyes and pulled back out onto the street, completely ignoring the threat.

          “Your roots are showing. Need a touch up?” Jasper asked, side-eyeing the other. Peridot touched the top of her head, as if she could feel where her natural brown colour ended and the blonde started. Her fingers ran through the messy bob of hair, serving as the hairbrush she didn’t bother using if she wasn’t going to work

 

          “Yeah, why not. If you’ve already got bleach anyways.” she replied. Jasper drummed her fingers on the wheel as they turned another street corner.

 

          “You’ve gotta pay for it. I’ve got a lot more hair to dye than you, and it ain’t cheap!” Peridot shot her another dirty look.

          “You _never_ make me pay for a dye job.” she observed. The driver only grinned and placed her hand high up on the other’s thigh, giving it a squeeze. Peridot immediately turned bright pink and shoved Jasper’s hand away from her, while Jasper just howled out a laugh.

 

          “I’m _kidding_ , calm down. I’ll dye it for you if we can watch Colombiana.” Her hand returned to the wheel just as they pulled onto Jasper’s street. Peridot settled quickly, knowing by now her friend’s sense of humour quite well. It just bothered her that she let herself get so worked up every time.

 

          “That’s fine. Just don’t miss any spots please.”

          “Yeah, yeah.”

 

          Jasper shut off the engine once they were in the driveway. Unlike Peridot, Jasper had a bit more of a setup when it came to living spaces. Her mother was pretty rich, and even though she hated taking money without really earning it, she wasn’t complaining about having a nice house. Peridot hopped out of the truck and made a dash for the porch, not bothering to open her umbrella again for such a short walk. The more muscular of the two followed after her, jogging up to the door and opening it.

 

          “You really should lock that,” Peridot warned, “Someday you might just find me in there using your Netflix.” Jasper tossed the keys on a little table and kicked off her boots, with Peridot doing the same.

 

          “And when I find you in here, drinking all of my soda, I’ll sit on you and make you watch MMA fights for a week straight.” Peridot laughed and hung up her coat, making her way to the hallway leading to her host’s room. By the time Jasper got to her room as well, Peridot had already made herself comfortable on the bed, leaning against the headboard and wrapping a blanket around her legs. From the calf down, she had prosthetics, and today she was using the one with the fake feet at the ends rather than the “little hooks” as Jasper called them. Even though they’d known each other all through high school and through their entire two year college experience, Peridot was still a little self-conscious about her prosthetics. The host went to fire up her console and logged onto her Netflix account (next to Peridot’s and their friend Amethyst’s) and Peridot pulled her phone out of the front pocket in her hoodie.

 

          “Why don’t we ever watch movies that neither of us have seen?” she asked without pulling her eyes from the screen. Jasper set down the controller and moved across the room to pull her curtains shut, leaving the television and Peridot’s phone as the only sources of light.

 

          “Because I’d rather watch what I know is good.” She replied, flopping onto the bed. Peridot nearly fell off the side. She readjusted her round glasses and clicked her phone off.

 

          “Then how do you _find_ these movies?” Jasper put her hand over Peridot’s mouth, making the other’s eyebrows furrow in irritation.

 

          “Shh, don’t speak. Movie time.” Jasper scooped up the other with ease, putting her arm underneath her and bringing her close. This had become a tradition between them that over time was simply expected. Peridot wrapped her arm around Jasper’s neck and they laid there, pressed close and absorbed in the movie. It took them years to get to this point with each other, but it wasn’t awkward anymore. They would _never_ admit it out loud, but they fit so well together like this. Peridot loved the feeling of Jasper holding her around the waist and listening to her heartbeat along with the movie’s soundtrack and Jasper loved the feeling of Peridot’s legs curled up onto her torso and her soft hair sprawled out against her skin. But as far as they were concerned, the other would never know that. Because, well, that’s just weird for friends to say, right?

 

          After gathering that the movie was nothing but killing and drama, Peridot grew uninterested. Instead, she burrowed her face into the other’s neck. It was warm and she could fall asleep right then and there if she allowed herself to. Jasper just _barely_ stiffened a bit, but otherwise continued to focus on _Colombiana._ The moment was short lived though, when Peridot interrupted.

 

          “Are you still going to do my hair?” she asked, and Jasper could feel her eyelashes against her neck.

 

          “Yeah, hold on.” Jasper sat up and Peridot practically slid off of her, rolling onto her back against the comforter. The taller of the two stood and ducked into the bathroom, rustling around in the cabinet for some gloves and...the bleach she didn’t have. She groaned into her hand and shut the cabinet door, going back to the bedroom. Peridot was sitting up now, definitely ready to get rid of her roots after so long. But when Jasper came back empty handed, her face fell.

 

          “You don’t have it?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

          “I must’ve used all of it and forgot to buy more. Sorry, dot.” Jasper shrugged out an apology. Peridot simply sighed and laid back on the bed, completely ignoring the movie at this point.

 

          “You could still pay me though.”

          “What?”

 

          Peridot turned her head and let out a short lived scream as Jasper dove for the bed, nearly missing her guest. Again she found herself captured in Jasper’s strong arms, but this time they were on either side of her.

          “C’mon, Peri, _gimme a kiss!_ ” she joked, moving in for the kill. Peridot dodged the first one, but the other wasn’t giving up that easily. As Jasper continued to attack her with pretend kisses, Peridot started to laugh and tried pushing the other’s face away half heartedly. A pair of lips found their way to the lens of Peridot’s glasses and she shouted through her laughter, taking them off rather than trying to clean the smear from them. The two were laughing hard now and the movie was nothing more than background noise. The excitement gradually died down though and Jasper stopped messing around, and for a moment everything felt inexplicably right. The glow from the television highlighted Peridot and shadowed Jasper and their heavy breath mingled and their smiles faded as the pair just simply looked. At each other; eyes, lips, then eyes again. Peridot was the first to blush.

 

          “So, um...next week?” she asked.

          “...What?” Jasper cocked an eyebrow and some of her hair slipped past her shoulder, pooling against Peridot’s side.

 

          “Can we do my hair next week?” Peridot was avoiding eye contact and smiling just a little and Jasper didn’t register that she’d been asked a question for a few seconds. Now it was her turn to turn a little red. She climbed off the other propped up against the headboard, and Peridot followed suit slowly.

 

          “Yeah, that’s fine. Just, remind me, okay?” Peridot nodded, and they watched the rest of the movie a little farther apart this time.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All the mundane, normal things about Peridot were beautiful to Jasper. And it scared her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I hope this chapter turned out decent enough! I'm quite honestly dying writing this I love Jaspidot so much. Please let me know if I made any factual mistakes in this (I've never bleached my hair I just looked it up haha)! Enjoy! Also, the line that Peridot says is "Hey, what's up?" but I used google translate so my apologies.

          One week later, Peridot’s hair was at the mercy of Jasper. She tapped out the pattern of a game on her phone while the other combed the chemical through her hair. Jasper ran her gloved fingers through the already coated bob repeatedly, taking extra care to make sure not a single spot was missed. The both of them knew very well that Peridot was capable of doing this all on her own - someone who’s built their own prosthetics is at  _ least  _ also able to dye their own hair. But this way, they could spend time together, and with Jasper’s view of her head she’s better at getting the job done in one go. Once her hair was evenly coated and the waiting process began, Peridot took a look at herself in the bathroom mirror. 

 

          “Do you think it would look good if it was green?” she mused, turning her head from side to side. Jasper tried to picture her with a head of green hair, but all that came to mind was a hideous neon colour and she couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

 

          “I’m being serious!” Peridot snapped back. “Like a soft, minty colour...”her voice softened. Her thin hands returned to the dry sections of her hair and pawed through it, deep in thought. Now this was something Jasper could see. After all, practically everything else she owns is green, why not go all out?

 

          “That’d look fine, Dot. If you want to look like a gumdrop.” she teased, pinching Peridot’s cheek with her calloused fingers. The other whined and pulled away, a red mark left behind on her caramel skin. Peridot puffed out her cheeks in frustration and glared at Jasper for a moment, before deflating.

 

          “You’re probably right. Thanks for bleaching it, anyways.” She pulled her phone up again, but Jasper put her hand over the screen, receiving an angry glare. 

 

          “Dude, I was joking. You’d look good with the green, you should do it.” Peridot blinked a few times, as though she wasn’t sure if she heard correctly. A light blush painted her face and she looked back over at the mirror, trying hard to hide a smile.

 

          “You really think so?” she asked. Jasper nodded. The two chatted about the idea for a while, eating lunch in the living room until neither of them could take the smell of the bleach anymore. It was definitely time to wash it out. In the bathroom, Peridot sat against the outside of the bathtub and leaned backwards over the edge as best she could. Jasper grabbed the shower head from its holder and kneeled down next to the other, chuckling when she saw Peridot’s eyes closed tightly and her hand holding her nose shut, waiting for the water, as if they’d never done this before.

 

          Jasper turned the knob and water spurted from the shower head, beating against the bath relentlessly. She held her hand underneath until it warmed up, knowing very well that Peridot would complain if it was ice cold. Finally, she scooted closer to the other and started washing out the bleach, a clean glove helping the process. Jasper took another look at Peridot, though, and rolled her eyes.

 

          “Would you stop being such a baby? Just relax, I’m not going to get bleach in your eyes.” Her only reply was Peridot humming an “uh-uh” in her throat, shaking her head just a bit. 

 

          “Just trust me, okay?” Jasper added. A moment passed, only the sound of the running water fleeing down the drain. Peridot released the grip on her nose and relaxed; eyes still shut, but no longer squeezed as if they would roll out of her head. Jasper continued to thoroughly rinse her hair, holding the back of her head up with her free hand once in awhile to relieve some of the strain of leaning backwards. She watched, unhindered, the way Peridot’s eyes moved around behind her eyelids. The way her chest rose and fell and where the scar on her ear was from trying to pierce it herself in the 7th grade. Jasper got lost in the way that Peridot’s lips parted because having someone wash her hair was incredibly relaxing, albeit a little scary because of the bleach, but then her mouth would close because she’d realize it was hanging open. She felt her face flushing and bit the insides of her cheeks. This was something so simple; something she’d done for Amethyst countless times and not once did she ever bother to be so observant. All the mundane, normal things about Peridot were beautiful to Jasper. And it  _ scared  _ her. 

 

          “Are you done yet? I can’t hold  this pose for much longer.” Peridot grimaced, pressing her hand against the small of her back and frowning. 

 

          “Yeah, you should be fine now, blondie.” Jasper replied, switching off the water. She left the shower head to dangle upside down and gurgle unhappily while she grabbed a towel from the cabinet. Peridot was standing now, stretching her back while her wet hair dripped all over the back of her shirt. The towel was suddenly wrapped around her head and Jasper dried her off like one would a dog, Peridot shouting protests the entire time. When she was satisfied, the assault stopped, and Peridot would definitely feel how much of her hair was standing up. Jasper laughed and made it worse by shuffling the tangled mess with her own hand. Peridot fought her off but eventually ended up laughing along, ducking under muscular arms so she could brush out the disaster resting on her scalp. 

 

          After straightening it all out, she inspected the roots and hummed in approval; not a single strand of brown was left. Jasper, as expected, did a perfect job. 

 

          “If only you were this good at fixing your computer.” she teased, resting her hands on her plump hips.

 

          “If I could do that by myself, you’d never have a reason to leave your apartment.”

 

          “Oh shut up!” Peridot smiled despite her words. Before their conversation could go anywhere else, Peridot’s phone lit up and started making bubble popping sounds. The name on the screen read “Lapis” with a teardrop emoji next to it, and the caller ID image was a blurry picture of her jumping off of a diving board. She scooped it up and swiped to answer it, immediately switching from English to her first language, Mandarin. 

 

          “Hēi, zěnmeliǎo?” she said, leaning up against the counter. As soon as the caller ID lit up though, Jasper had already checked out. The two of them were not the  _ best  _ of friends, but for the most part put it aside for Peridot’s sake. Not because they didn’t think they could both be friends with her and still hate each other, but because she’d probably talk their ears off with a lecture about how annoying they get. Peridot continued her conversation and Jasper wondered why Lapis even  _ knew  _ Mandarin. She was from Hawaii for christ’s sake! Unless she learned it before she met Jasper? After all, Lapis and Peridot have been friends since elementary school...  Yet something in the pit of her stomach whispered to her that she learned it just so she could do something with Peridot that Jasper couldn’t. It make her jaw tick. Suddenly, Peridot directed her attention to Jasper and derailed her train of thought.

 

          “Hey, are you willing to put up with me at night for movies next weekend instead of the morning? Lapis wants to go swimming the same day, but I told her I had plans.” She had her phone pressed into her shoulder and an expectant look on her face. Jasper was certainly not happy with Lapis pushing around their plans like this, but if Peridot were to come over at night she’d probably end up sleeping over...

 

          “Fine with me. Don’t expect me to drive you back so late, though, so pack a bag.” she said. Peridot nodded - and smiled, Jasper noticed - and went back to her phone call. The angry feelings about Lapis melted away with this new arrangement in place.

  
          Jasper studied her hands to avoid looking for more things about Peridot to take interest in. And judging by the feeling in her stomach, there was no more denying it; Jasper is absolutely, unabashedly in love with her best friend.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> God, those eyes are practically golden...

          It was Saturday morning, one week later, and a very early morning much to Peridot’s dismay. Lapis really wasn’t kidding when she said she wanted Peridot for the entire morning and woke her up at the disgusting hour of 8am.

 

          Peridot woke up to the sound of a buzzer at first, at least five times in a row. Rather than alarm her, she just groaned and pushed her face into her pillow, easily drifting back to sleep in the moment of silence. But then, her phone went off - the familiar sound of bubbles popping filled her ears. With a huff, Peridot turned over and snatched her phone from the nightstand, nearly dropping it because her arm was still fast asleep. She slid the answer icon.

 

          “Ugh.” It was too soon for such pleasantries as a hello. A grunt would have to do. Lapis huffed into the other side of the phone.

 

          “Did you forget about our plans today?” she asked. But Peridot was already dozing off again, and her answer was lost in her pillow. Lapis waited for all of five seconds before hanging up and tossing her phone into her tote bag. She began pounding on the door, determined to get her lazy jerk of a friend out of bed. Not even two minutes passed before her efforts succeeded. The door swung open into the apartment and a very grumpy Peridot stood before her, with bedhead that would scare a brush and a backwards shirt, clearly put on just seconds before. Lapis walked right in and pulled her sleepy friend into a hug.

 

          “You know, most people like to sleep at this hour.” Peridot grumbled into the hug, pushing the door closed behind the two of them.

 

          “You _know_ ," Lapis mocked, "when I say to be ready in the morning I don’t mean 3pm.” she retorted. Peridot just rolled her eyes and peeled herself out of the hug, heading back to her room with Lapis in tow.

 

          “Make me some coffee and maybe I’ll get ready to go.” she said, lazily sorting through one of her dresser drawers. Lapis just smiled and shook her head, dropping her bag on Peridot’s bed before making her way to the kitchen area. She put in a new filter and found a clean mug (which was more difficult than it sounded because the sink was a warzone).

 

          “Remind me again why you’re making me socialize like this?” Peridot hollered from her room, distinctly muffled while she changed. Lapis leaned against the counter while the brew got going, fiddling with her necklace.

 

          “Because I miss you, dumbass. We haven’t hung out in like, 30 years.” she replied dramatically. A scoff could be heard from the other room.

 

          “It’s been two weeks, Lapis.” Peridot reminded her, buttoning up her shorts.

          “Exactly, and that’s about 30 years in best friends time. _Annnnd_ it’s gorgeous outside!” The coffee maker sputtered as a declaration of finishing and Lapis poured her friend a mug, leaving it black how she liked it. She pushed past the half open doorway and set the cup on the nightstand, dropping herself onto the mattress. Peridot, she noticed, was wearing high waisted black shorts and a black swimsuit top with a gold crest in the middle. No doubt her swim bottoms were green though.

 

          “Did you brush your teeth?” she asked.

 

          “Not yet, _mother._ ” Peridot replied, taking a greedy gulp of her coffee. “Thanks, by the way.” She lifted the mug in acknowledgement and Lapis smiled, sticking out her tongue. Peridot went over to her cramped bathroom, kicking aside a few towels on the ground to get to the sink. Her blue haired friend entertained herself with poking around, looking at the cover of the book on the nightstand - _“Use of Weapons”_ by Iain Banks - and helping herself to the bag of gummy worms next to it.

 

          “So hey, why couldn’t you come over tonight? I even rented some old, weird horror movie already.” Lapis said, tearing the head off of a gummy. Peridot turned on the faucet and could be heard spitting out toothpaste before she could reply.

 

          “Jasper and I had plans.”

 

          The blue haired woman couldn’t help but scowl. It always pissed her off when Jasper got in the way of their hang out time, but on the other hand it was probably the same feeling when the situation was flopped. No one was about to tell Peridot who to be friends with - this wasn’t high school anymore - and it’s not like she’d listen if they tried. Lapis finished off the candy in her hand and tried to step back into her peppy morning self. Just then, it seemed that her friend was finished in the bathroom.

 

          “What’s with that look?” Peridot questioned. Lapis looked up at her from the bed.

          “It’s nothing. Just a _reaaaally_ sour one.” she replied, pointing to the bag. The other rolled her eyes.

 

          “Well, let’s get this over with. If the pool ruins my hair though you’re buying me lunch.” Peri warned. She stepped into some sandals and grabbed a sweater for good measure. Today was apparently bright and sunny and uncomfortably _hot_ in the outside world and yet one could never be too careful! Lapis shouldered her bag and bounded for the door, desperate to get the morning under way. Peridot took her time however, making sure she was wearing sturdy prosthetics and had her phone, keys, sunblock, and anything else that made her feel like the put together adult she wasn’t.

* * *

          There was water in her mouth and her skin felt like a stovetop and Lapis would _not_ stop taking pictures of the two of them and Peridot was loving all of it. She’d never go do this on her own, because strangers half naked in a giant pool really didn’t sound appealing unless her friend was there to suffer with her. By noon her shoulders were already covered in her once hibernating freckles and by one o’clock they were scattered across her face along with a little bit of red on her cheeks and the bridge of her nose.

 

          Peridot took a break from the water to re-apply some sunscreen and Lapis made her way to the diving board, shouting for Peridot to watch her. She’d been a competitive swimmer in high school and would definitely still be competing if her parents hadn’t cut her off financially after she moved out. But all that aside, Lapis took a breath and charged off the board, bouncing once and torpedoing into the water below like it was first nature. Peridot clapped theatrically when her friend resurfaced and then took a seat on a folding chair, trying to dry out her hair with a towel. Lapis pulled herself from the pool, sloshing water all over the concrete, and shook herself out over her best friend. The two of them laughed and playfully punched each other for a solid five minutes before settling down on the chair together, the sun beating down on their skin with no mercy. Any onlookers probably thought they were a couple of high schoolers instead of women in their mid 20s. Predictably, Lapis pulled her phone from her bag yet again and opened up her Snapchat before Peridot could even think about checking her messages. She rested her head on her friend’s shoulder and slung her arm over Peridot, snapping a picture of them both.

 

          “Way to cover up, Peri.” she teased, drawing a circle on the screen. To Peridot’s horror, part of her nipple was hanging out of her swimsuit. She gasped and lurched for the phone while trying to adjust herself, but Lapis was faster, keeping the other from moving freely by tangling their legs together. It was too late; the photo was posted and would be for a whole 24 hours. Peridot almost wanted to be mad, but honestly it wasn’t _that_ big of a deal.

 

          “You’re the worst.” she said, squishing the other’s face between her hands. Lapis just laughed.

 

          The day was refreshing. The water was refreshing. The fun was refreshing.

* * *

 

          Meanwhile, as Peridot and Lapis enjoyed a relaxing pool visit, Jasper was in panic. This would be the first time Peridot spent the night at her place since going through the crisis of developing a crush. One would think that a 24 year old wouldn’t have butterflies in their stomach at the thought of someone staying the night, but apparently that young people’s thrill wasn’t finished with her just yet. She even went through the trouble of cleaning the place up a bit - not that Peridot minded either way, but Jasper felt like making the place presentable this time. Garnet was her go-to advice generator in the rare moments like this.

 

          “lets say ive got someone coming over who i may or may not be interested in” She’d texted her old college roommate. It wasn’t long before she got a reply, which was good news for the fingernail she was unaware she was destroying.

 

          “Alright, let’s say.” Jasper flopped onto her bed. God, she felt 15 years old again.

 

          “and i really want to impress this person and maybe even start something. what do i do??”

 

          This was, to say the least, pathetic. Jasper was a fully grown - _very_ fully - adult and should know how to handle herself in the face of a crush. If it was someone else, _anyone_ else, this probably wouldn’t be happening. Jasper would be as smooth and seductive as she was capable of. The fact that it was Peridot, however, seemed to flip everything on its head. This long term friend of hers, who’ve shared so much and have seen each other at the worst and best of times, had her toned stomach feeling like a marshmallow someone held over a fire for too long. Her phone buzzed.

 

          “Try to be romantic.” Great. Like that wasn’t obvious. But it seemed that was all she was going to get from Garnet, so the rest was up to her. Romantic to Jasper meant something along the lines of a big, delicious dinner, a jog, and _maybe_ sex if things went really well. Peridot wasn’t Jasper though. This was going to be tough considering in all their years as friends Peridot never seemed interested in dating anyone and _barely_ ever spoke about her romantic interests. The strong woman searched her house for anything that could be used to set a mood other than “eating dinner in our underwear and watching the new Game of Thrones episodes”. It took a lot of digging in her closet, but eventually she came across a dusty box full of backup holiday gifts her mother insisted on keeping around. Inside was several small red candles. It’s better than nothing.

 

          “Please don’t burn my house down.” Jasper muttered to the candles as she began setting them up.

* * *

 

          After lunch and an unexpected nap at Lapis’ house, Peridot was dropped off at her apartment and bid her goodbyes. Being inside the airconditioned space made goosebumps sprout all over her body and she shivered, already missing the warmth of the sun and water. She immediately headed for the bath, cranked up the heat, and did her best to wash the smell of chlorine off of her skin and hair. While she soaked, she took the time to wipe down her prosthetics, trying to get the coating of chlorine off of those, too. When she finished, Peridot lifted herself to the edge of the tub, drained it, and toweled off before slipping back into her artificial legs.

 

          Looking at herself in the mirror felt like looking at a stranger. Her already tan skin darkened except for where her suit protected her and her bleached hair was tinged just the _lightest_ shade of green from the chemicals in the pool. The freckles that were almost always invisible because she tended to spend the sunlit hours of the day inside her apartment were all but shouting for attention. They plastered themselves across her shoulders and down her arms, anchored onto the nape of her neck and down between her shoulder blades, and dusted across her nose and cheeks. Peridot even managed to find two of them on her lips. Even the green in her eyes looked livelier. Lapis really knew how to make her look like she wasn’t a complete shut-in. It felt like her body was still in the water, being pushed and pulled, like being inside a water bed someone was bouncing on.

 

          “If I hear a single word about these stupid freckles from Jasper, I’m walking right out the door.” she mumbled to herself, packing her bag for the night. Peridot hurried into an outfit, putting on a baggy pair of pajama pants and a long sleeve shirt to hide the majority of her freckles, but owning no makeup meant she’d have to deal with the ones on her face at least. Just in case, because Jasper’s room turned into a sauna when they fell asleep on the same bed, she stuffed a tee shirt into the bottom of her bag as well. Peridot toweled off her hair again for good measure and gave it a quick brushing before gathering her bag, texting Jasper that she was on her way, and grabbing a handful of those gummy worms to snack on during her walk. She wants to believe that having the diet of an overweight 10 year old will make her feel younger, but it just makes her feel older when the sugar high dies down.

 

          The sound of a bone snapping filled the air as Peridot exited her apartment building, and for a chilling moment she forgot that that was her text tone for Jasper. Along with the text, she glanced at the time. It was already 7pm.

 

_“hey, i thought we were splitting this day 50/50?”_

 

          Peridot bit her lip. It’s not like she meant to fall asleep at Lapis’ place, but after swimming and lunch she was just so drained she couldn’t help it. Then again, why did she care so much? It’s not like being late would kill either of them.

 

 _“Sorry, we fell asleep unexpectedly. Just make sure your door is unlocked.”_ she tapped out, awkwardly feeding herself the candy while she replied. Only a moment passed before she got a reply.

 

 _“it always is dummy”_ Peridot smiled to herself and clicked her phone off, finishing off the last minutes of the walk in silence. The late evening air was still pleasantly warm and she took a moment to breathe it in before walking up Jasper’s driveway. Door opening silently, Peridot creeped in and slid off her sandals, closing the entrance behind her. The whole place was surprisingly dark.

 

          “Jasper? I’m here!” she called out. That’s when it hit her; a strong smell, like...cinnamon. It definitely wasn’t the kitchen, considering it was empty and Jasper isn’t really the culinary type. Peridot readjusted her bag strap and walked down the hall to Jasper’s room, noticing how the light flickered underneath the doorway. Candles? What on Earth is she up to in there?

 

          “Jas...” her voice faded. Peridot pushed the door open gently and found that the faint lights were indeed candles, at least eight of them, scattered around the otherwise dark room. Jasper was just lighting another one when she realized that her guest was already here and she stood up straight a bit too quickly. The candle nearly toppled over, but she fixed it.

 

          “Hey, I didn’t hear you come in.” she said leaving her lighter on top of the dresser.

 

          “Jasper, what _is_ all this?” Peridot gestured around the room, making her way towards the bed. She dumped her bag and laptop on the mattress and took a deep breath through her nose. “It smells amazing...” A sheepish smile played across Jasper’s lips and Peridot’s grip curled around the hem of her sleeve, not understanding exactly why her heart leap into her throat. The way the orange lights melted across Jasper’s strong jawline and round cheeks and left the rest of her face in shadows was something else. Like all of those dark chocolate commercials with the brown sweetness filling the screen. Peridot wanted to cement this into her head for the rest of her life. Did she always think her friend was this gorgeous? This looked far too much like a date for her own good. Her cheeks were burning. God, those eyes are practically golden...

 

          “Hell _ooo?_ ” Peridot focused, hoping the darkness would hide the small blush blooming on her face. Jasper chuckled and sat herself on the bed, taking care not to squish any of her guests things. “I said Amethyst was over earlier and dumped a whole bottle of nail polish remover in here. I wasn’t about to breathe in chemical all night.” Jasper wanted to pat herself on the back for coming up with such an authentic lie. She also wanted to push the thought of breathing in Peridot instead of the candles out of her head, but that certainly was easier said than done.

 

          Peridot’s eyes narrowed behind her glasses, and the light from the flames blurred against the faint smudges on the lenses. That story, while not _completely_ unbelieveable, seemed off in some way. But not too keen to start an argument, she just shrugged and joined Jasper on the bed, pressing her warm face into the cold pillow. _“Ahh...”_ she sighed, enjoying the temperature. It felt like she’d been locked in a tanning bed all day after leaving the pool. Jasper laid back with her, taking in the sight of the candles. This was actually something she’d do again; it never smelled this nice in her house before.

 

          “Did you pick a movie?” Peridot mumbled into the pillow. Jasper turned her head to look at her. To reply. Big mistake. Her friend’s cheeks were toasted red and sprinkled with freckles she’d never seen before, not in all these years. The soft orange light made Peridot look so warm Jasper felt that if she touched her skin it would melt like sweet caramel.

          “Jasper.” she tried again. Jasper hummed a reply, caught up in the fact that she wanted to kiss the lone freckles off of Peridot’s lips. Her face burned, like she was holding a candle up to it. Peridot opened her eyes, glasses pushed up and crooked against the bedding.

 

          “Jasper!” she said, louder this time. The woman in question nearly bit her tongue.

 

          “Oh, yeah, yeah I picked one. Calm down short stack.” she heaved herself up and off the bed. Peridot just rolled her eyes and sat up, setting her glasses on the nightstand. Jasper popped open the case for _The Fifth Element_ \- chosen with Peridot in mind - and clicked around on her controller while her guest plugged in her laptop.

 

          “I’ll go grab some snacks. Requests, gumdrop?” Jasper asked, a smug grin pulling her lips apart over her teeth. Peridot just stuck out her tongue and sat back down.

 

          “Chips, please. Any kind.”

 

          “Coming right up.” Jasper let the previews run while she left, and Peridot stood, taking a deep breath. It felt like she was standing in a bakery when she closed her eyes. Peridot rifled through her bag, pulling out the tee shirt she brought. With all the candles in here the room was already warmer than it would be normally, so there was absolutely _no_ way she’d be able to handle cuddling in baggy pants and long sleeves. She quickly tugged her shirt up over her head and pushed it into her tote, enjoying how the air felt on her bronzed skin. It still felt like she was sitting in that pool chair. Roasting.

 

          Peridot cupped her breasts, analyzing just how bad her tan lines were. More than half of her chest got in on the tan, because the fastens on her suit were weird and always slipped more than they should, but the underside and nipples were left untouched. Realizing Jasper would probably be back soon, she decided to fuss over it later. Her hands curled around her tee shirt and fiddled with it until it was right side out and pulled it down over her head.

 

  
          Outside the door, through the crack left between it and the frame, Jasper nearly dropped the bowl of chips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this seems like it's jumping around! I'm so bad at spacing things out and took forever to write this because I kept adding to it. I hope you all like it!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They wanted this. God, they’ve always wanted this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is so short! I've been mapping out my other fics lately. The next two chapters should be much longer! Otherwise, enjoy!

_           “Everything you create, you use to destroy.”  _ the television whispered. Jasper turned it down about a half hour ago when she noticed that Peridot had checked out. Her small figure was curled up against Jasper, under her arm, and snoring lightly. Short fingers weakly kept their grip on Jasper’s top and every time she looked down at them her stomach did a barrel roll. The larger of the two continued to munch on the bowl of chips against Peridot’s back as quietly as she could, too invested in the movie to pass out now. This was supposed to be the other way around between them, honestly. Peridot stirred and Jasper’s throat tightened as the other pushed herself closer, most likely attracted to the warmth, and nuzzled her face into Jasper’s neck. It only lasted for a couple moments though, before she broke free from her nap.

 

“Mmn,” she hummed, taking a deep breath. Jasper cleared her throat and put on a calm front.

 

“Hey there.” she said, speaking low. She pressed her lips to the crown of Peridot’s head and did her best not to linger. Peridot, still dazed, smiled and pulled herself away.

 

“Hey,” she paused, her expression slowly becoming more concerned, “Oh, oh shit! I fell asleep, I’m sorry!” Jasper just chuckled in response.

 

“Oh shut up, you know it’s not a big deal.” Jasper gave her a small squeeze, pressing her closer for just a second. Peridot sighed and dropped her head onto the pillow again, locking eyes with Jasper. 

 

_          " _ Are you tired?" Jasper asked, voice barely a whisper. Peridot caught herself staring at the way the other woman's lips formed words.

"Not anymore...are you?" she replied, watching those amber eyes now instead.

 

Then it happened again. The television became inaudible. Everything sort of slowed down. They just looked at each other, tired and almost dizzy, a few awkward laughs passing their lips quietly. One of the candles on the nightstand behind Peridot flickered out, drowning in its own wax. Peridot licked her dry lips, her front teeth dragging back on her bottom lip for just a moment. 

 

"...No." 

 

Jasper pressed their lips together, ignoring the self-conscious burning in her throat that suggested she shouldn’t have done this. The muffled squeal from Peridot egged her on, and after a couple seconds when the smaller of the two returned the kiss, Jasper felt like a firework had gone off in her chest. The two women pulled apart for a moment, eyes lidded and fixed on each other’s lips. Now it was Peridot’s turn to be bold, and she resumed the kiss with fervour that surprised the both of them. Jasper was so much warmer when they were this close. Peridot only wanted to be closer, dragging her arm out from under herself so she could grab both of the other’s shoulders. A pair of strong arms tugged her onto her back and a heaving, excited body covered her like a sheet, knees bent against the mattress for support and calloused hands cupping Peridot’s face. 

 

They wanted this. God, they’ve  _ always  _ wanted this. 

 

Jasper tasted like crackling wood and honey chapstick and Peridot would never get tired of it. They rolled their tongues together, not quite understanding the appeal until now. Jasper decided that kissing Peridot reminded her of eating sour candy; her tongue was on fire, her jaw ticked, and she couldn’t help but go in for more again and again. There was a lot of pulling, too. Small hands running through Jasper's hair and tugging on it, urging her closer. Strong arms holding their owner up to narrowly avoid crushing Peridot while at the same time wanting to just give up and phase into her. Where did one of them begin, and where did the other one end?

 

Closer. They needed to be  _ closer.  _

 

After a mind numbing fifteen minutes of intimacy, the two broke away from each other, breathing heavily. This was...crazy. It was a slow pull away from what just happened, with Jasper sitting back on her legs and Peridot pulling herself up against the headboard. Both of their cheeks were burning red in the dark. Jasper swore she’d felt a small hand kneading her chest at one point, briefly, but was too in shock to determine if that was true.

 

“I, um..That..” Jasper fumbled over her words, finding it difficult to take her eyes off of Peridot’s face.

 

“I’m sorry,” Peridot started. 

 

“N-No! Don’t apologize! I....I-”

 

“Wanted this?,” Peridot pulled her knees to her chest, avoiding Jasper’s eyes. “Me too.”

* * *

 

“ _ YOU  _ **_WHAT!?”_ ** Lapis shouted. Peridot slapped her hand over her friend’s mouth, worried that another apartment tenant might have heard.

 

“Lapis it’s like 1 in the morning, be quiet!” she warned. Lapis licked the palm of Peridot’s hand and she pulled away instantly, wiping it off on her pajamas while making a noise of disgust. 

 

“We kissed - well, we made out. It’s not a huge deal!” Peridot felt embarrassment pool in her cheeks. “It’s not, is it?” The other woman threw her arms up and made a look of shock.

 

“It  _ is  _ when your best friend suddenly gets over her fear of cooties.”

 

“So I wasn’t interested in intimacy until now, so what?” Peridot ran a hand through her hair. It had been a couple days since the incident with Jasper, with only a few awkward texts between them to show for it. Did this even mean anything? They were tired, and there was mood lighting, and it just sort of happened. The two of them didn’t even cuddle afterwards! Peridot remembered almost falling off the bed at one point because she was too flustered to be anywhere near her. 

 

“Are you guys dating now then?” Lapis asked, the plainness of her question making the hairs on the back of Peridot’s neck stand up. 

“H-How should I know!?” she sputtered, tugging at her hair. “Is that a rule? You kiss someone and you’re morally obligated to date them?” Lapis scoffed and gently shoved her friend’s shoulder.

 

“No, thank God, but I mean...do you like her?” This late night talk was dangerous. Peridot knew it was a bad idea to bring up the kiss but past midnight it was like her filter was removed.

 

“...I mean,  _ maybe-”  _ Lapis groaned and threw herself at Peridot dramatically, draping herself over the other’s lap. 

 

“I’m gonna lose you to the throws of wild sex and hot women! Next thing you know, I’ll be bailing you out of jail and you’ll start driving a motorcycle!” Peridot laughed so hard she snorted, shoving Lapis off of her. If she was anything, Lapis certainly was dramatic.

 

“You aren’t exactly innocent of a jail visit, Lazuli.” Peridot reminded her. Lapis just held a finger to her lips before continuing their little game of 20 questions. 

 

“You guys did talk about it right?” she asked. 

 

“I mean, we...we both agreed that we’d wanted it. For, uh, a while now.” Peridot scowled at the face Lapis gave her for that one. “I know we’re going to have to talk, eventually. I’ll see her in roughly a week. Our movie plans got pushed back for this weekend so it’ll be a while  _ buuut  _ I’m aware of the urgency. Just,” Peridot sighed. “ _ IF  _ this goes anywhere, I don’t want you two to be so hostile with each other.” Lapis sneered at first, but gave in.

 

“Fine, fine. I’ll try,” she promised, pressing a hand to her chest, “But I can’t say anything for her.” 

 

After some more questions and Peridot’s inability to answer them without getting worked up, they decided to turn in for the night. It was clear to anyone that this turn of events left a sour taste in Lapis’ mouth but at the end of the day, if Peridot was happy, so was she. Sort of. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I really...want this to work out.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before you start reading I REALLY want to apologize for how short this is! I was really hoping that this fic would be my turning point for making detailed stories but it's never as long as I think it is by the time I finish! That being said though, thank you for reading!

          The fact that Jasper had gone to Amethyst of all people for advice about what happened said enough about how worried she was. Two weeks had passed since the incident with Peridot - which she’s nicknamed “My Possible Fuck-up” - and the fact that Jasper keeps making up fake plans to avoid movie night isn’t making it any easier to deal with. She groaned into the palm of her hand and let her body fall against the back of Amethyst’s couch. Said couch owner reached for the coffee table and grabbed one of the beer cans they’d brought out, popping the tab and handing it off to Jasper.

 

          “You read my mind.” Jasper mumbled, taking a sip. It was bitter, and nothing like Peridot’s lips. Oh for _fucks sake!_ She really had to get it together. It’s been two weeks and she’s an _adult._ She can handle this. She can just -

 

          “So are you gonna talk to her about this, or is this like, going to the grave with you?” Amethyst asked, downing a few gulps from her own can.

 

She can’t do this.

 

          “How am I supposed to bring this up?” Jasper threw her arms in the air, the liquid in the can threatening to jump out. “‘Hey Peridot, can’t wait for movie night! Do you wanna be on top this time by the way?’” Amethyst choked on her beer and Jasper’s face flushed when she realized how bad that sounded without context. Her friend started wheezing with laughter.

 

          “Shut up!! You weren’t there, it wasn’t like _that!”_ she spat, finishing off her drink. She had a feeling it wouldn’t be the last one tonight.

 

          “S-Sure, Jas,” Amethyst wiped a tear from the corner of her eye, “I believe you!” Jasper punched her on the shoulder, and even though she rubbed the spot, Amethyst couldn’t help but continue laughing. When it all died down, Jasper was already lost in picking out her second drink.

 

          “Man I totally get it though! You should have seen me and Pearl the first time we hooked up.” The shorter of the two pulled her legs up on the couch, stretching them over Jasper’s lap while she settled her arms behind her head. “We could barely look at each other, and for a while afterwards we got nervous just sitting together. But like, those things don’t last forever!” Jasper cracked open the new can, listening intently.

 

          “Didn’t peg you for the shy type, Ame.” she said against the sweating aluminium. Amethyst kicked her foot up at Jasper’s hand and spilled some of the beer on her chin.

 

          “Hey, fuck you!” Jasper shouted at her through her own buzzed laughter.

 

          “What I’m _trying_ to get at is, maybe it’s good that you’re both so skittish about this thing. It means you care enough about each other to feel something from this. You both kinda,” she tapped her can a couple times, thinking of the right phrase. “If you worry about what she thinks, and she worries about what you think, then it’s a sign things could work out. You care. Y’know?” Amethyst looked over at Jasper. She was holding her can in both hands, hunched over with her head between her arms. A pause.

 

          “I really...want this to work out.” she said, so quietly Amethyst had to strain to hear her. Amethyst rested her hand on the other woman’s back, sighing dramatically.

 

          “What am I gonna do when you turn into a sap?” Jasper chuckled and took another sip of her drink. She could already feel the alcohol working out the tension that’s built up in her muscles over the past few weeks, and being able to talk about all this freaky crush shit was something she didn’t know she needed. Jasper made a mental note to treat Amethyst to dinner sometime as thanks. It was the least she could do, since she planned on drinking whatever was in her apartment tonight. After a couple hours she had made a sizable dent in the alcohol supply.

 

          Across town, things were just about as opposite as they could get.

 

          Peridot invited Lapis over to distract her from all her internal banter about the ‘Jasper Situation’. The two of them were wrapped up on a tiny loveseat, covered in blankets and mere feet from the television. Somehow after all these years, the soap opera that they started watching as a joke in high school was still on the air. Lapis had a bag of chips tucked into her lap underneath all the comforters and sheets and held one up for Peridot whenever she nudged her in the side, since neither of them wanted to look away from the season finale.

 

          “I can’t believe how far Pierre came in the kayak race. Don’t you remember when he tipped it over in the second season and Percy helped him out? _God,_ they should just date already.” Peridot said through a mouthful of chips. Beside her, Lapis let out a snort.

 

          “Seriously. He sucked at the water events, but Percy helped him learn when everyone else was asleep for like a month. How are they not a thing yet?” she replied, rolling her eyes.

 

          “It’s probably the writers!” Peridot started, tearing her eyes from the television to look at Lapis. “They _know_ it’s what we all want. That’s how they’re keeping us trapped here, Lap. They know what we want and they’re dangling it right in front of our faces!” Lapis laughed and stuffed another chip into her mouth.

 

          “Don’t start on the director theories, please. I actually want to sleep at some point.” Peridot laughed and pulled her arms out from under the blanket pile, stretching them in front of her until her shoulders popped. The hum of the t.v., turned down during commercials, was interrupted by a sudden buzzing. The pair looked around for a while before Peridot spotted her phone lighting up on the kitchen counter. She sighed and wrestled her way off the couch, nearly tripping as it caught around her foot. Peridot swiped her phone off the counter and froze.

 

          “It’s Jasper.” she said, voice cracking at the mention of her name. Lapis shot off the couch as fast as she could and hurried over.

 

          “So answer it!” she urged, reaching out to answer the call. But Peridot held her phone out of her friend’s reach, her face colouring.

 

          “No way! What if she’s calling to talk about what happened? This-This should be a face to face thing! A _private_ thing!” she hissed. Lapis mocked offense.

 

          “Look, just answer it, and if you start talking about it I’ll wait outside or something.” Peridot worried her lip and Lapis rolled her eyes. She shot her hand over before Peridot could stop her and slid the phone icon over to “Answer”. Peridot panicked and let out a squeak, holding the phone up to her ear and shooting a glare at Lapis.

 

          “H-Hello?” she started. The response she got was much louder than she thought it needed to be.

 

          “ _Perido-t!”_ Jasper yelled, holding out the last syllable in her name. Someone else was talking too, she noticed once she was able to put the phone back up to her head.

 

 _“Jasper this is a bad idea!”_ someone said in the background. Lots of thumping followed - Peridot assumed it was Jasper running away from whoever was trying to deter the phone call.

 

          “Jasper? What’s going on?” Peridot asked, holding her free hand over her other ear.

 

          “Peridot I gotta-” A loud hollow sound interrupted her, “Ame was this couch always here? S’stupid, move it.” Jasper sounded muffled, like she wasn’t really talking into the receiver.

 

          “Jasper are you _drunk?”_ she asked, nearly shouting herself in order to get the other’s attention. Lapis was super focused in on the cell phone, straining to hear Jasper’s voice. She was shouting into it after all.

 

          “Not important! I gotta...I gotta talk to you!”

 

          “Shouldn’t you be sober for that?” Peridot pinched the bridge of her nose.

 

          “ _No_ s’gotta be now! Peri I-” Peridot cut her off.

 

          “No, Jasper, if this is about what happened I really think-”

 

          “Peridot y’ gotta listen to-”

 

          “I _really_ think you ought to be in the right mind-”

 

          “Peri!”

 

          “If we’re going to talk about th-”

 

          “ _I think I’m in love with you!”_

 

          Nothing moved. Not Lapis, not Peridot, not the air around them. It was suddenly so stuffy inside Peridot’s little apartment that she was holding her breath. The only noise she could hear was Jasper's heavy breathing. Her lungs filled with a thousand words and made her chest feel fit to burst. Her entire body felt like it was on fire. She wouldn’t mind being set on fire right now. Really, Lapis, get the matches. It felt like an hour passed before Peridot dared to speak.

 

          “...Jasper, you’re drunk, you don’t know what you’re saying.” She began, taking off her glasses and hooking them on the collar of her shirt.

 

          “No, no no I _know_ this I,” Her voice cut out for a second, presumably to deal with what sounded like Amethyst jumping on her for the phone. “I can’t stop thinkin’ about you Peri, it’s so bad! What’d y’ do to me?”

 

          “What did _I_ do?!” Peridot’s knuckles were white, cupped around the edge of the counter. It felt like her legs would give out at any moment.

 

          “Yeah you! I-I can’t think anymore! It’s all just,” Jasper took a deep breath. “ _Peridot.”_ The way Jasper said her name, so stern yet breathy, even over the phone Peridot felt her stomach jump into her throat. Lapis tried searching her friend’s face for answers , but the dark crimson of her cheeks and her wide, green eyes that were glazed over with tears could mean a million things. Peridot kept her gaze firmly on the ground. Her head was reeling. Even if this is a drunk confession - even if it wasn’t _true_ \- Peridot's mouth couldn't catch up to her thoughts. She listened in silence as a struggle broke out on the other end of the line, before finally Amethyst got a hold of it.

 

          “ _SORRY PERI! GOTTA GO!”_ she hollered into the receiver before ending the call. Peridot let her hand drop lamely to her side.

 

          “Peridot? What happened? Jesus, are you crying?” Lapis asked, trying to catch her friend’s eyes. Not even a reassuring back rub snapped her out of it.

 

 _“She said she loves me.”_ Peridot thought to herself. The word "love" smeared itself across her brain. It rang in her ears and left a weird taste in her mouth. It spilled out from her eyes in a silent sob. Peridot and Jasper have known each other for _years,_ longer than she’s known Lapis or Pearl or Amethyst or anyone else that’s still in touch with her. There was no denying that there was always _something;_ a type of tension, a taut cable connecting them at the waist. Even if they argued, it would always snap them right back together. All those years together flashed across Peridot’s eyes and her response crawled from her mouth mere _minutes_ too late.

  
          “I think I love you too.” Peridot choked out.


End file.
